Throughout central Pennsylvania, countless dirt-covered stalks are pushing their way through the ground like an army of soldiers that has weathered a long, hard winter.
The asparagus has arrived, bringing with it blog posts and Facebook updates touting this spring vegetable forerunner in omelettes, pastas dishes and – my personal favorite – grilled cheese sandwiches. Fresh-from-the-ground asparagus is delicious, probably more so because of its brief appearance. Asparagus is the amuse-bouche of the spring and summer harvest, a mere bite to be followed by abundant greens, new potatoes, baby carrots, spinach, strawberries and lots more.
This week marks the beginning of the spring and summer season for members of the Tait Farm Community Supported Agriculture Program. A CSA turns eaters into investors. By purchasing a ‘membership,’ you receive weekly dividends in the form of fresh (and, in the case of Tait Farm, organic) local fruit and vegetables. Supporting the farm means weathering the ups and downs of an operation that’s often at the mercy of Mother Nature. Too much – or too little – rain can wipe out a crop, as can an infestation, especially when chemical pesticides aren’t an option.
I enjoy eating local all year round, but few things make me happier than the sight of the Tait Farm barn stocked with spring vegetables in late May. Those vegetables will show up in Spring Creek picnics, as toppings and side dishes at backyard barbecues and in desserts for friends hosting summer parties. (My presence comes with a side of rhubarb applesauce or a tray of rhubarb crisp.) Those veggies will turn the underappreciated salad into a main course just as satisfying as a cheeseburger. They’ll also dress and accompany those cheeseburgers, turning this summer staple into a gourmet meal.
Local food paired with a side of sunset is the reason why we put up with Happy Valley weather in February, March and April. The formula for instant summer bliss is simple. Turn your local veggies into dinner (even better if you don’t need to turn on the oven), pour yourself a glass of local Elk Creek Cafe or Otto’s beer, and take your seat in the show that unfolds every night outside your window. Then thank your lucky spears that you live in a place where local food is abundant.
But nothing this good comes easy. The farmers work for the love of the work; they consider it a privilege. You don’t get rich picking fields of asparagus (although you might get a repetitive stress injury). And in this economic climate, it’s harder than ever to stay afloat.
‘We have a number of farmers that are either just hanging on or have left the land,’ says Larry Hutchinson, president of Centre County Farmland Trust. He cites a sobering figure from 2007 data – the most recent available – from the Census of Agriculture: In this county, he says, we lost 9 acres of farm and ranch land a day to development.
Local nonprofit Centre County Farmland Trust is attempting to reverse that trend by finding families willing to place a conservation easement on their farmlands. The easement is a contract between the trust and the owners that restricts usage of the land to anything other than development. The farmer retains ownership of the property, and if he or she passes the land to an heir or sells to another family, the easement continues to protect the land. In return for the easement, the farmer may receive significant tax advantages, which Hutchinson says can mean the difference between staying in business and giving up the land.
In an effort to raise the awareness of its work and celebrate the spring and summer bounty, the trust is partnering with Tait Farm, Elk Creek Café + Aleworks, Otto’s Pub and Brewery, Harrison’s Wine Grill & Catering, WPSU Local Food Journey, the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, ClearWater Conservancy and other community-minded organizations on a ‘Summer Solstice Celebration.’ Held Saturday, June 18, from 1-4 p.m. at Tait Farm, the event will feature food and beverage sampling, hands-on art activities, a farmers market and hayrides that will give participants an opportunity to see Farmland Preservations Artists‘ paintings, which will be displayed around the farm. Sales from the art exhibit with benefit Centre County Farmland Trust.
The event is free and low-key. But the cause is urgent. Centre County Farmland Trust preserves between one and three farms a year, but the work isn’t enough.
‘Right now I wish we could work twice as fast to gain more farms under protection,’ Hutchinson says. When farms go out of business, the community loses more than a piece of the agrarian landscape; it loses a source of local food.
Why should we care when we can easily buy that food (possibly cheaper) at the supermarket? Because local food means food security. When the rest of the state is checking its produce drawer to determine if the recently purchased spinach is part of the E. coli outbreak, you can reach into your canvas bag and eat your spinach with peace of mind.
Local food also keeps money in our community. My investment in Tait allows the owners to invest in Amish cheesemakers, a local jewelry maker and a producer of raw local honey, whose respective products all line the shelves in the Tait Farm shop. The food Tait grows shows up on the menu at Harrison’s, Elk Creek Café and Otto’s and Brewery, all three of which are members in the CSA program.
The final reason to eat local is the taste. No disrespect to the kind folks of Argentina, but the stalks that were pulled out of the ground yesterday simply taste better than the ones flown in a continent away.
